Educate me in the ways of ironing please!

[BadPoet]

I used to be a non-ironer. Then I started doing occasional items as needed, and now I find myself ironing dd's uniform most mornings which is clearly not an efficient use of time.

So, I have started ironing properly, and have got myself a full sized board (previously had a mini Ikea one).

I need help with the basics!

• Where do you keep your 'ironing pile'? I wash more often than I intend to iron, do a load most days and plan on ironing twice a week.

• Do you find yourself running out of things or wanting something that's waiting to be ironed? Will I need to buy more clothes? Currently I have a two/three day turnaround for getting things washed, dried and back in the wardrobe - that will be more won't it. DO you have to be super organised about what you are going to wear?

• What do you not iron? Thinking underwear, pjs, anything made of magic fabric. Bedding?

• Any hints, tricks or tips for me?

Thank you

Personally I would stick to being an non ironer!

Don't iron anything you won't see - undies, bottom sheet on bed, etc. Some people iron socks, pjs, i think they're a bit mad. I actually like to iron stuff as soon as its dry (or even better still a bit damp). If you leave it sitting around in a pile, it'll get all scrunched up. Just see how things go with regards to if you'll need new stuff.

This might be obvious, but when you're ironing garment (eg shirt) you iron the bits people see first, last iyswim. So, iron the collar and 'yoke' (bit across shoulders) first, then the back, then the arms, then the front bits. That way the most 'prominent' bit looks best.

I don't iron everything that I wear, so I don't need to be quite as organised as you suggest - but I do iron all my trousers, shirts (wear only rarely), and any jumpers or tops that tend to crinkle. I tend to do it in little bursts after it comes out of the wash but DH lets his wait around and does it in one enormous go, so we have an ironing basket.

I don't iron much bedding but I DO iron pillowcases cos it makes them lovely to sleep on (and look nice too).

Would never bother ironing underwear or PJs!

My top ironing tip is that I don't use a steam iron - hate them, perhaps cos we live in a very hard water area. I iron things when they are still a tiny bit damp from the wash, ideally, then they create their own steam.

I iron what I feel needs ironing - DH's work shirts, a few of DD's dresses a couple of blouses of mine. I don't iron anything I can get away with - most knitted stuff, sheets (although it is nice occasionally, especially if I can't get them out on the line), underwear, socks, jeans...

I try to iron stuff the day its washed and not to get it completely dry before hand as the dryer it gets the more work it is to iron - more steam and more heat required, so more cost as well. Put stuff to be ironed on hangers as soon as it comes off the line/out the drier and its easier to iron.

Personally, I do try and iron the day I've washed - I don't have to find space to keep the ironing, it makes me feel better to keep on top of it, I don't get intimidated by how much there is to do or bored half way through. Oh, and its easier to iron ()

Pootles - your shirt ironing technique is different to mine! I was taught to iron first the bits where there's most risk of you scrunching the rest of the shirt up - Collars, sleeves and cuffs, shoulders, and then work my way round the body (front - back - front). I think as long as you're reasonably careful it doesn't matter too much, though :)

Also, I would stick to being a non-ironer!

DS's school trousers get hung up carefully after washing, no need to iron. Rest of uniform in tumble dryer, but would all be fine if carefully hung up if don't have tumble dryer. Why do you iron your DD's uniform?

With shirts I iron the collar, then the sleeves, then the two fron bits and then the back. I then redo the top of the back of the shirt where it sits on the shoulders and the tops of the fronts. I only iron shirts, dd's school skirts and the kids school/nursery polo-shirts. I iron once a week on a Sunday. The clothes dont get piled - they get washed, dried on the clothes horse or on a hanger (the shirts) and then put away. I take the stuff for ironing back out the wardrobes, drawers when required.

Thanks everyone - will have to see how it goes. I can't see me managing to catch the clothes when nearly-dry in order to iron them them, but I can why it would be a good idea. I wonder how I can get away with washing less?

runmeragged, dd wears polo shirts and they look awful - the collars - when not ironed. Cardigans benefit from it too. The rest is all easy-care fabric and can get away without it. DH's t-shirts look much better too, are OK when dried outside but these days they are fighting for space on the inside pulley.

Buy an ironing tree- hang anything you want to iron on it and it will be easier to iron if hung previously. Best place to keep it is in the bathroom next to the shower (the water mist gets creases out.)

I'm going to have to explain what an ironing tree is aren't I?

I don't iron g strings and bras. I iron everything else.

Ironing tree

I iron PJs as they feel nicer but i dont iron underwear or bedding. My mum used to iron my knickers when i was a kid and hang them on coat hangers and i always thought she was bonkers!! I dont iron DSs polo shirts for scool either because they go all shiney and he never takes his jumper off anyway.